Subsidy: Jonathan meets labour leaders today

President Goodluck Jonathan will today by 1.pm meet labour leaders in the Presidential Villa to discuss issues relating to his administration's plan to withdraw fuel subsidy.The meeting might have arisen out of complaints by labour and civil society organisations that the government was hell-bent on removing the subsidy without consultations with critical stakeholders and the Nigerian people.Last Friday, Daily Trust reported the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) which said that government had not only refused to consult it but had actually rebuffed efforts by some well meaning Nigerians to mediate and enable government hear from the side of those against fuel subsidy removal.A top labour source told Daily Trust yesterday that President Jonathan will meet the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) today to 'discuss the oil subsidy and the controversy it has generated in recent days.'The source who refused to elaborate on the issues to be discussed in today's meeting urged our reporter to wait for the outcome of the meeting in a statement that may follow the meeting from either the government side or the organised labour.Already, all 36 state governors across the country have confirmed their support for the subsidy removal saying it will enable the accrual of more money for development of social infrastructure.However, when contacted, Acting General Secretary of the NLC Comrade Owei Lakemfa refused to confirm or deny the planned meeting with the president, but pointed out that Congress was still opposed to oil subsidy removal and will mobilise Nigerians against it. When asked what the NLC will do if President Jonathan who is expected to submit budget estimates tomorrow to the National Assembly does it without allocation for subsidy, he said the NLC will take appropriate action at the appropriate time, pointing out however, that budgets hardly have any relevance to the Nigerian people because they are not implemented religiously.'Part of the problems that we have in this country is that budgets usually have no relevance to the people. If you look at the budget since 1999, you find that there are allocations for any kind of things you can think of; for road, for transportation, for healthcare, for everything.
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